Binding for books.



PATENTED JUNE 28, 1904.

C. GHIVERS. BINDING FOR BOOKS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15, 1904.

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Patented June 28, 1904.

PATENT Qrrree.

CEDRIC CHIVERS, OF BATH, ENGLAND.

BINDING FOR BOOKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,857, dated June 28, 1904. Application filed January 15, 1904. Serial No. 189,171. (No model.)

To all roll/0771, it nan/y concern:

Be it known that I, GEDRIO (humans, a subject of His Majesty the King of Great Britain, residing at Bath, England, have invented a certain'new and useful Improvement in Bindings for Books, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists of an improved binding for books which combines the strength and other advantages of the tightback form of binding with those of the loose or open form of back.

The objections to the tight-back form of binding are that the book after use becomes ,unshapely, the back becomes creased, and the gilt or other lettering damaged and rendered unreadable, while it is also difficult to safely attach the labels necessary in public-library administration. Constructively,however,the most important objection is that it is necessary to use the same leather for the covering as for the lining of the book. This is frequently very undesirable. The leaves and sections of a book may be such as to make it advisable that a thin and flexible lining be attached to the back, while the volume may be of a size or weight necessitating a thick leather. Heretofore this is accomplished by paring the leather down the joints and at the back; but it is recognized that this paring away of the leather is damaging to the book. VVhen,however, the leaves and sections require a thick lining, as in a small thick book, the converse has to be done, with again this disadvantage of shaving the leather.

The open back as at present formed is weak, inasmuch as the wear and tear on the volume wherever the book is opened is always in the same placenamely, the point of contact between the cover and its joint with the back of the book. In other words, with a tight back the hinge of the book varies and the book forms its hinge wherever the book is opened; but this entails the aforesaid objections.

With the loose or open back whenever either the covers are thrown back or wherever the book is opened the hinge is always at the same place-namely, just where the cover meets the back of the book. This is frequently the weakest part, owing to the skiving or paring of the leather at that place to insure neatness and the easy opening of the covers or to the use of thinner leathers.

This invention is designed to obviate the above disadvantages and to combine in an improved form of back the strength and flexibility of the tight back with the better appearance, smoothness of surface, and throwup of the loose or open back.

To this end the improved binding comprises a false back which is made up of a leather base-piece attached to the back of the book, to which is sewed or suitably attached down each edge a stiifening-piece composed of a layer or layers of brown paper, card, millboard, or the like, each preferably tapered to its edges, and some pliable strengthening fabric, such as book linen or canvas or the like, so that a pocket or space is left between the leather base-piece and the stiffener, to the outer face of which pocket is attached the leather back proper.

By the useof the above-described form of binding much of the strength of the tight back is retained, owing to the increased amount of surface contact between the binding and the book, and the vertical cracking of the leather back due to the frequent opening of the book, which is one of the principal objections to the latter form, is removed, the

pocket which is formed by the false back giving to the leather back the stiffness and appearance of the open back and, as will be hereinafter described, obviating the necessity for skiving or paring the leather at the junction with the cover, as would be thecase with the usual open or loose back, which further weakens the binding.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view of a book closed and with parts of the back removed to show the construction. Fig. 2 is an end view of the closed book, but with the upper part broken away to show the construction of the back; and Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the book opened to show the position assumed by the back.

1 is the leather base-piece, made, as shown, slightly narrower than the back of the book to which it is to be applied and forming a species of tight back. This leather may be scraped or skived at each longitudinal edge 2, so that said edges when fastened down do not present ridges. This piece 1 is glued or pasted, preferably all over its surface, firmly down to the back of the hook, leaving a narrow strip 3 down each side uncovered, or where the volume is thick or heavy or contains sections of thick paper the piece is sewed as well as glued, as hereinafterdescribed. The

stiffening-piece 4 is preferably made up of a layer or layers of good brown paper or the like, 5, preferably tapered, beveled, or pared at its edges and placed between covering-pieces of book-linen 6 and 7 and, if desired, adhesively attached thereto, the overlapping edges of which are sewed together and to the aforesaid leather base-piece 1, so that a pocket or space 8 is left between the leather base-piece and the stiffener 4 and forms a false or open back.

The leather, cloth, or outer back proper, 9, is then firmly attached by adhesive means over the whole of its under surface to the covers 10 and the outer covering 7 of the false back, so that it is fixed, respectively, to the stifiener 4, to the projecting edges 2 of the leather basepiece, to the uncovered strips 3 of the back of the book on either side of the base-piece, and to the covers 10 themselves, with the result that as the actual outer back 9 is attached to the back of the book itself at 3 on either side of the stiffener f a much stronger binding is produced than wherethe points of contact of the covering with the book are, as in the ordinary binding, only at the narrow edge of the loose back where it meets the boards. The smooth rounded appearance of the loose or open back is retained, and the strength and suppleness of the tight back is also insured. The construction, moreover, gives an additional hinging-surface to the back at approximately the line of sewing or joint of the stiffener, whereby wear and cracking of the leather at the points of contact with the cover is obviated, as the book will be found to open or bend on the two lines so formed in the back, as shown at 11 and 12, Fig. 3, or at least distributeits bending over the new lines 11 and the usual junction 12 of the cover 10 with the back, while the necessity for reducing the thickness of the back at these points an additional source of weakness which has heretofore been the practiceis removed, as the leather 9 may be of the same thickness throughout.

It will be understood that although the stiffener is described as being composed of brown paper or the like having linen or fabric 6 7 on either side it may have the linen or fabric on one side only, and that either inside or outside, the leather cover 9 proper being then cemented either direct to the brown paper or to the fabric, as the case may be. It will be seen, further, that the base-piece, with the stifiiener stitched or attached thereto on the two lines, forms aseparate article ready to be applied to the back of a book and which may be an article of manufacture apart from the actual binding of the book.

What I claim is 1. In bindings for books the combination with a flexible base-piece adapted to be attached to the back of a book of a stiffener at tached thereto on two lines to form a pocket open at both ends.

2. In bindings for books the combination with a flexible base-piece adapted to be attached to the back of a book of a stiffener narrower in width than the base-piece and attached to said base-piece on two lines to form a pocket open at both ends.

3. In bindings for books the combination with a flexible base piece having tapered edges, of a stiffener also tapered at its edges, and attached to the said base-piece on two lines to form a pocket.

4:. In bindings for books, the combination with a flexible base-piece, of a stiffener comprising a stiffening material tapered at its longitudinal edges, and a fabric overlapping said edges, said stiffener being attached to the base-piece on two lines to form a pocket.

5. In bindings for books the combination with a flexible base-piece, of a stiffener attached thereto on two lines to form a pocket,

and an outer back proper attached to said stiffener and having overlapping portions on either side thereof adapted to be attached to the covers of a book.

6. In bindings for books and in combination a book, a base-piece adhesively attached to the back thereof, a stiffener attached to said base-piece down each edge to form a pocket and an outer back proper adhesively attached to the stiflfener, to the base-piece, to the back of the book and to the covers thereof.

7. In bindings for books and in combination, a book, a base-piece adhesively attached to the back thereof, a stiffener comprising a pliant fabric and a stiffer material, and attached to said base-piece on two lines to form a pocket, and an outer back proper, adhesively attached to the stiffener, the base-piece, the back of the book and the covers thereof.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CEDRIC CHIVERS.

Witnesses:

WALTER HILL, GEO. E. OoLEs. 

